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Since I live in a landlocked state well away from any coast I have to fly to cruise. With the extra cost and time burden of flying if I'm getting on an airplane to cruise I might as well cruise twice or more. Consequently I look for opportunities to stay on the same ship or move to another ship before flying home. The latter is sometimes called a side-to-side while staying on is called back-to-back. Royal calls such guests "Consecutive Cruisers". You will often see terms like B2B, B3B or B4B used in internet forums like this one to indicate a back to back or staying on for three or four in a row. Less commonly you may see S2S for side to side. From Royal's perspective each cruise is an seperate event. When staying on for the next cruise certain things are treated like you are a new guest on the next cruise. Different onboard account, different seapass card, different reservations for meals and entertainment. For these items it's as if you never did take the last cruise, the cruise you are on now stands on its own. You need to check in for both cruises online ahead of time as if they are different cruises which in fact they are. The most desireable B2B often means booking the same cabin for both cruises. There is no check box for this when searching for cruise, it's up to you or your travel agent to find a cabin that is available to book for both cruises. This is easier to do when booking cruises that are far in the future. When booking the cruises closer to sail date it's often harder or impossible to book the same cabin for both cruises. The cruise line offers no assistance in this effort and they will not ask someone to change cabins so that you can stay on for the next cruise. Sometimes a B2B involves changing cabins one cruise to the next. This typically involves packing your suitcases of all your belongings except for items hanging in the closet. The cabin attendants will facilitate moving your suitcases and hanging items from the first cabin to the next. There are exceptions to this where the onus is on you to move all your belongings but those are rare. Because a B2B involves two separate cruise bookings there are numerous times when changing cabins between cruises is required or is simply appealing. For one cruise perhaps a balcony or suite is available at an attractive rate but on the other cruise the same cabin is unavailable or cost prohibitive. Perhaps you want to try different cabins to sample each type or location so you know better in the future if a specific cabin location or deck makes a difference for your personal preferences. The cheapest rates are sometime "guarantee" type rates where the cruise line selects your cabin. In the case of a B2B with two guarantee type bookings its very unlikely they will assign you the same cabin for both cruises as the cruise line views the two bookings as unrelated until you step onboard. For one cruise a balcony might be cheaper than an ocean view but on the next cruise a balcony is very expensive and a suite is only a few dollars more. There are a number of scenarios that end up with a cabin change for a B2B. When you book two consecutive cruises you or your travel agent needs to notify the cruise line that you have booked two in a row. Until you do the cruise line has no awareness you booked two consecutive cruises. Once on board the first cruise it's always a good idea to stop by guest services and ensure they have you on the list as a consecutive cruiser otherwise they expect you to leave like a regular guest at the end of the first cruise. In America, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) dictates the process for consecutive cruisers. More often than not they will require all guests disembark so that the ship reaches "zero count" before they allow guests for the next sailing to begin boarding. For consecutive cruisers near the end of the first cruise you'll get a letter in your cabin describing the process. This generally involves meeting at a designated location and time when all other guests are disembarking. Once the bulk of all other guests have left the ship as a group consecutive cruisers are led off the ship to meet with CBP. Once inspected and cleared by CBP there is often a short wait while CBP confirms zero guests remain on board (zero count) before they allow consecutive cruisers to return on board. Boarding of the next cruise starts with consecutive cruisers followed by wedding parties, suites and high ranking members in the loyalty program. CBP will sometimes board the ship and inspect consecutive cruisers on board at the designated meeting location. No one knows how CBP decides if guest must leave or stay on board. I suspect they look at the guest list and depending on the names and details they make a game day call. For example if only US citizens are B2B and they all have passports on file then most of the inspection work is done ahead of time and they already know if there are any standouts that require more investigation. If there are foreigners or a name that matches a watch list or comes up matching someone with an outstanding arrest warrant they are less likely to allow the group to remain on board. In my experiences only once have I remained on board. All other times have involved 30 to 55 minutes off the ship going through the process. In other regions of the world different border authorities have different processes and often you can stay on board. For mediterranean cruises often these itineraries stay within the European Union and with the open borders of the EU there is no customs or immigration process between cruises. Side to side cruising is another option to consider. This could involve moving to another Royal ship or a different cruise line. In Florida a side to side can involve different cruise ports. I've cruised from Ft. Lauderdale then flew the same day to a ship in Tampa. I've sailed from Miami then rented a car and boarded a ship in Port Canaveral the same day. The easiest side to side involve changing ships at the same port like Miami, or moving from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale as these two ports are less than 30 miles apart. In the case of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale on two occasions Royal saw that I was moving between ships and they offered complimentary shuttle service for me. This is not standard and should not be expected but sometimes it happens. Sometimes the ship schedules don't align perfectly and there is a need for a hotel stay between ships. One thing to consider is laundry. You'll need to pack wisely when your overall journey is longer. Some items can be repeated such as formal wear for both cruises. Some items like bathing suits can be rinsed and hung to dry so they work for both cruises. Sometimes you just need to bring more clothes and more suitcases to last for both cruises or just plan to pay for laundry services on board. A side to side with a night in a hotel in between provides an opportunity to book a hotel with a laundry. Sometimes consecutive cruisers are offered a special lunch or sometimes they are offered sparkling wine and mimosas upon reboarding. This varies from ship to ship. Here are some cruise trip reports I've done involving a B2B or S2S: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/ https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/ https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17015-an-amplified-agglomeration-of-oasis-pictures-post-amplification/ Here are two cruises as a S2S with a car rental between them: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9391-recap-mariner-4-night-bahamas-sept-21-2018/ AND https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/9359-recap-enchantment-ots-3-night-bahamas-92118/ This is an example of a S2S with a hotel stay in between: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14700-empress-8-night-eastern-caribbean-?-oops-i-booked-it-again-?/ AND https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14968-the-magic-of-majesty-august-2019-and-then-again-in-october/ Personally I love doing a B2B and if I had more time and money I'd do more of them.

I have nothing to say, cruise related. Just wanted to say cheers, and hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm spending the week at the beach with the wife and kiddos...NO WORK. It's not a cruise...but things could be worse..... I hope everyone takes a moment, in the near future, to reflect on this time, and hopefully come away from it with a better perspective. Easy for me to say, I know, but all the same....hope we can all approach this crazy time with some positivity and optimism.

I have an excellent memory lol.. So with Oasis here is what happened.. They kept talking about project Genesis. Then Finally like 2 years before Oasis was ready they decided to unveil their new concept "Neighborhoods". They explained that Royal's new ship would be divided up into neighborhoods. Then about every 3 months they released a new neighborhood! The first one they released was Central Park and everyone went crazy with excitement. I remember sitting at my computer looking at the concept art and saying OK yeah this ship is going to be a huge game changer and I HAVE to get on it!! Then they revealed Boardwalk and when they showed the Aqua theater I was in AWE. They kept this going until they were done.. Then they had the naming challenge where some one won a contest for picking Oasis.. Any way my point is If Coved didn't happen I think by now Royal should of released some Icon info.. Now that we have Corona virus who knows what they are going to do with Icon which is very sad.. I'm sure they will still build it but how delayed will it be? Will it still have all the amazing things we hope for? I hope so but who knows lol.. Anyway I wish they would announce things on it they way they did Oasis that was so fun!

For what it's worth, I found this petition on a group I follow...it was started earlier this evening and has a long way to go. If you are inclined, please sign and share. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/cdc-going-destroy-cruise-industry?fbclid=IwAR2TguDcOHEQNgbnWmRPs_fW4TdDaLF1kaV4rp_3BdoAIKjgJm_5oOzc48w

Only have the weekend off but we spent this afternoon on our local beach and then went out for dinner afterwards. Note that the pic of the beach is from last month on our first outing after lockdown was eased but it's the same beach. ? It feels good to be able to do some (almost) normal stuff.

Congratulations and condolences. You are going to LOVE the suite life thus the condolences...b/c you will be ruined from now on. That's a good thing ! Approximately 5-7 days (I've found lately that it is 5 days) prior to sailing, your Suites Concierge will reach out to you via email and provide you with a full list of Suites benefits. At that time, you will be able to interact with the Concierge, ask them questions and have them make reservations for you. If you have a dining package, you can ask the Concierge to make specific reservations for you at the restaurants and times of your choice. Another big time saver, as you will not have to go stand in line at the kiosk or specialty restaurant and do that once you board. If you are going to Labadee or Coco Cay and want a cabana or bungalow, the Concierge can do that for you ahead of time...another time saver. You will be able to check in with the Suites....which usually means a shorter line to go through check-in and security. I can't remember whether Galveston has a separate entry for Suites or not. I should remember, but I don't. At the very least, you will have your own line...which can be a huge time saver. You will have 24 hour access to the Suites Lounge. There you will find a self-service coffee machine that you can use any time it is working. I says any time it is working b/c there have been issues in the past with it running out of coffee or milk, etc. Of course, there is the Happy Hour (usually 4:30 or 5:00 - 7:00 or so) where you will get complementary beverages and snacks. You would also be eligible for this (in the Diamond lounge) since you are now Diamond (Congratulations !!!) so that's not such a biggie for you...but it's generally less crowded in the Suites Lounge as there usually fewer Suite and Pinnacle guests than there are Diamonds and D+. Most of the Concierges will provide priority disembarkation at ports of call. This can be hit-or-miss but most of them will escort you off the ship ahead of the masses, if you want to disembark that early. This is particularly important if you have any tender ports. Just be mindful that this service is only in 1 direction. You have to get back to the ship on your own the best way you can. Of course, the most valuable assistance with disembarkation is on the last day when the Concierge will get you off the ship expeditiously. Unfortunately, I have found the disembarkation service at Galveston to be kinda lame. They really don't escort you down to the CBP line like they do at some of the other ports....but it's better than nothing. One service that can be really valuable is the fact that the Concierge can help you with any Seapass/billing issues you might have. If you find that you've been charged for something that you should not have, the Concierge can take care of it for you. Generally speaking, anything that would require you to stand in line at Guest Services, the Concierge should be able to do for you. Minimizing time at GS is a real bonus !!! The Concierge will arrange special behind-the-scenes tours for you if you are interested. These generally include entertainment operations (we did one at the ice theater once that was really interesting), galley tours and bridge tours. No idea how COVID is going to affect the tour situation. My guess is that they will probably curtail some or all of these, but you never know until we get to sailing again. Of course, you will have reserved seats for all of the main theater productions and the ice shows. There are special sections that are available to suites and Pinnacles. You still have to fight for a seat, but at least there is a section cordoned off for you. My favorite Suite benefit is private breakfast at Chops. Only Suites and Pinnacles are allowed. It is a full service breakfast from a static menu. Very nice, quiet and tranquil. Such a great way to start the day ! Labadee has a Suites area that is exclusive to Suite Guests and Pinnacles. It is a nice area and they provide shuttle service from the main entrance over to the Suites beach. Even if you do not rent a cabana you will find lots of loungers. The Suites area has a private lunch that is pretty much the same as everyone else's lunch but generally less crowded. Nothing exclusive for Suites at Coco Cay, unfortunately. There's probably more...just can't think of it right now. Congratulations again !!!

I like the idea although I think the petition could have been written better. At the moment I think the CDC is doing the right thing but I do think they'll remain too restrictive longer than they'll need to and that is when they'll do irreparable harm to the cruise industry. If this petition is successful it will take months for the process to work and any, if any, outcome to begin. Any attention or awareness to the issue at the federal level is a good thing.

I think that might best be served via email, just because I think a lot of the questions are going to be personal in nature. I'd advise you to go right to the top and email [email protected]. Beci is the owner of MEI, and I know she can assure you of any concerns you have. There's no denying the agents that are leaving have been very visible in our community, but MEI has some excellent agents that get name dropped here (and even more that do not) that are still with the company.

Hmm I don't think anyone has posted this but on the RCCI website they have 3D views of rooms. I think this might be one of the updates that had the site down. So far it is only on a few ships like Indy and Nav but I was still shocked to see the videos there. Now there is no reason to look up a room on YouTube. These 3D tours show you not just the layout but an actual tour around the room. This will definitely help people who can't decide between the different types.

Oasis class was somewhat secretive, at least until she was far enough along that a competitor couldn't steal ideas and ruin their reveal. Even the introduction of flowriders were secret back in the day - those were kept under cover so as not to spoil the reveal. Lately Royal has proven to be careful to talk up the ship two or there away from delivery so as to not impact bookings and the limelight for the next ship to be delivered. Some people looking to book Odyssey could see hype for a future ship and decide to wait for the latest and greatest. At the moment Royal is so focused on the pandemic and damage control that I can't see a lot of marketing cycles being spent on Icon right now. Launching Odyssey with maximum hype could be a banner moment as cruising resumes post-pandemic so I can see them spending maximum resources to her and this effort, all but ignoring Icon marketing for now.

Mamie, I just got back from a back to back cruise in January and we did not have to disembark and embark again. You could either go off in the port and board again like a regular port or you could stay on the boat. I personally enjoy back to back cruises. I recommend staying in the same stateroom for both segments, otherwise you will have to pack and unpack, which is no fun. I have a personal blog where I covered this topic in depth here if you would like to check it out. I also have done a lot of research into various back to back itineraries offered in 2021 and have laid them out here because I know how hard it can be to find these specific cruises. I hope these tips help!

Hagar, It doesn't matter that you were an E-4. What's important is that you stood up, pledged the oath and served honorably. Which is A LOT more than many young Americans did nor have done......even now. Thanks for your service to our Country from one Vet to another. By the way, what type of missiles?

I sure did, Jr. Suite to Grand Suite on Oasis next September, just under $4500... Cannot beat that!

It is true you learn something you didn't know everyday.

Most likely, yes. The only time I have known of B2Bers not having to physically disembark on turnaround day was when there was a very large B2B group, in which case CBP came onto the ship to process the B2Bers. It is extremely rare for that to happen. 99% that you will be required to shortly disembark and reboard. But you will be permitted to go to your cabin (if you wish) immediately. You will not have to wait until 1:00 like the newbies.

Like @Vancity Cruiser said I'd like to see a greater emphasis on public venues with views to the sea, particularly at lower levels, not just on pool decks. A Schooner Bar with floor to ceiling glass views for example. Outdoor promenade deck with sitting areas on each side - full length outdoor decks with ample chairs (more than Quantum class outdoor sitting areas). Non-smoking ship would be awesome but let's not go down that road here. Public helipad. Something wild and crazy on the pool deck. Go karts have been done. Sky obstacle courses have been done. Roller coaster? Probably too much maintenance on a moving ship so something that no one has thought about. Dedicated suite only outdoor space like Edge but not at the cost of space or views for the regular cruiser. Coastal Kitchen restaurant for suites but not in prime real estate like a VCL. A Central Park like space. Outdoor big screen TV's at the pools, not just in the aqua theater.

Hello just a new update. Our family just received our renewal passports yesterday it took 122 days to get them - We went to the post office on Feb 24 2020 and just got them in the mail on 6/25/2020 Something now not to worry about

New: Mariner of the Seas; October 9, 2020. ?

Only thing i would like to see is passengers ????

This also counts for cruises.

Yes. CK is amazing! And yes, it is a good idea to make reservations for dinner (breakfast and lunch do not require reservations). For Junior Suite guests, CK is available for dinner only and only if there is availability so just be aware of that. JS guests have better luck getting into CK on some ships than others. YMMV. You definitely should try to make reservations on the first day for that. What is so good about CK? For starters, they have their own kitchen so the food is more fresh and hot. The venue is much smaller than the Main Dining Room so they prepare it when you order it. The flavour is also much better. And the menu is much more varied that the MDR. I have always said that CK rivals any other specialty restaurant, in fact, some dishes are the same as those that can be found in specialty and sometimes taste even better! The best example of that is Filet night in CK, their filet is the best onboard, better than Chops and Giovanni (IMO lol, some will disagree with me). The other thing that CK wins out on is the view! Especially on Oasis class ships, which Symphony is. No specialty restaurant, or MDR can beat the view and the ambiance of CK. Floor to ceiling windows, beautiful views of the sunset over dinner, I miss it so much just thinking about it! And the last thing is the service. Because the venue is a much smaller one, wait staff have the time to spend with you. They are not running around like crazy like in the MDR. I have a lot of photos of CK menus and food pics in my blogs (links are in my signature). I have on from Symphony from last July. It might be helpful so that you can get an idea of what it looks like and what food options there are available to you. #teamCK forever!

I also remember (thanks Gmail) being able to book my January 16th, 2010 sailing on September 3rd, 2008. I followed everything closely back then but don't remember timing of announcements, but as @AGSLC5 mentioned I recall them giving little teasers along the way. I still have some of the photos saved LOL.

I seem to recall a story where the Oasis construction was not announced until someone spotted satellite photos of the ship and then the cruise line confirmed. I heard it eons ago, so no clue if that's true. I do believe it has less to do with being secretive as it does the cruise line not wanting people to wait. They don't want someone saying "Ooooh, Icon class? I'm gonna wait to book a cruise until 2022". They want people booking now, and then closer to launch wooing them with Icon.

They had the 3D tours a few years back (look for one of the Aqua Theater Suites !) but they went away. Nice to see they are coming back.

Straight ahead when you walk into the WJ. There is seating in this area and through the seating is the bar. Left or right further down the sides of the WJ is where the food starts.

@rshov, here are a couple of other suggestions for you. Marseille: I do like the city and if you prefer not to venture farther afield there are a few things you might like to do. First of all, know that the ship does not dock right in town. There is (or at least used to be) a free bus service from just outside the port gates but to be honest, there are loads of taxis and the last time we were there it was about 20 euros each way in a taxi. There are marshalls organising the queue so it's not a free-for-all like you find at some ports. If you take a taxi, you want to tell the driver to take you to the Vieux Port (which means Old Port) and you will be dropped at the taxi rank there, which is nicely central and from which you have several options. There is a free walking tour from the top end of the Vieux Port which my daughter has done and said was very good. No pre-booking was required for this pre-Covid and there were normally two separate daily tours, one in English and one in Spanish. However, at the moment you do have to pre-book and there appears to be only one bilingual tour. Anyway, you can browse their website here: https://marseillefreewalkingtour.com/marseille-free-tour/ Right by where the taxi would drop you is the terminus of the Petit Train (Little Train), which covers several routes. The one we did takes you around the port area and up to the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica on a hilltop overlooking the city. This is not a HoHo service. Everybody has to get off at the Basilica and then you catch another train to complete the circuit. Tickets for the train can be bought from one of the agents working the queue. I can't remember how much it cost us but it wasn't expensive and it was an enjoyable trip. Here's the Petit Train website: http://petit-train-marseille.com/en/home-7/ Unfortunately the Basilica's website is not working at the moment but you can look it up on Google and you'll get hits from the big travel sites like TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet, etc. If you enjoy museums, MUCEM (Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean) is also very close to the Vieux Port. They are currently closed, again because of Covid, but you can see their website here: https://www.mucem.org/en/your-visit I don't know if you know, but Marseille is famous for its soap (savon de Marseille) and there is a soap factory/museum (Musée du Savon) on the opposite side of the Vieux Port from where the petit train departs. Unfortunately, the website appears to be only in French, but here is the link to it anyway because it has a short video of the museum on the site: https://www.savon-de-marseille-licorne.com/le-musee-du-savon-de-marseille-vieux-port-de-marseille My daughter visited this too. There are three options: just visit the factory shop - no charge, pay only for what you buy; visit the museum - entry fee includes a bar of soap; visit the museum and the factory - entry fee includes your own personalised soap (you can see them doing this in the video). Here's a photo of my daughter's: So that's it for Marseille. On now to the other port I have a recommendation for and that's La Spezia. Yes, you could go to Florence from here but it's a long way. You'll be spending ages on a bus and when you get there you won't have time to even scratch the surface, let alone do the city justice so, unless you're really enthusiastic about architecture and history and know you won't get another chance to visit, I would recommend giving it a miss. La Spezia is the gateway to Cinque Terre: https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/ and Cinque Terre is unmissable. If you're reasonably mobile you can skip the expensive cruise line excursions and do it yourself by train. You can walk from the port to the train station in about 20 minutes. Inside the train station there is a dedicated Cinque Terre ticket office with very helpful English-speaking staff. They will sell you the train tickets and give you a free map and timetable. There are reduced fares for (if I remember right) 65 years and up. You can also buy souvenirs or a little guide book like the one in my pic. You must validate your ticket by sticking it into one of the yellow machines on the platform and then you're good to go. It works a bit like a HoHo bus; you can get on and off the train at the different stations along the route, spend some time in each village and get back on the train again at the end. We have done this twice. The first time we got off the ship quite late so we didn't make it to the last village, Monterosso. The second time we used a different strategy. We visited the first village, Riomaggiore, which had been our favourite on the previous trip, and then went all the way to Monterosso, where we spent a bit longer and had a tasty panini lunch at a beachside restaurant. If you enjoy beaches and think you might want to spend some time there, it might be worth sticking a towel in your bag and wearing a bathing costume under your clothes. Doing this had an additional benefit. The trains get quite busy in the afternoon with people making their way back to La Spezia. Since Monterosso is the last of the five villages, it's the first one on the way back, so we got seats on the train. From the second village onwards, it was standing room only. That said, the total journey time is only about half an hour. Anyway, apologies for the length of this post, but I wanted to give you plenty of information in the hope that it would help you in your planning. Feel free to ask any questions; if I know the answers, I'll be happy to respond.

Yes, for all of the ships that have a specialty restaurant. Not sure about Empress since I haven’t cruised on a Empress, but all of the other ships with specialty restaurants have a Suites breakfast. Sometimes the breakfast is in Giovannis, sometime Chops...but it will be somewhere.

You are so welcome. I forgot to mention - double Crown &Anchor points, too !

I absolutely love the neighborhood concept which helps improve the traffic flow of the ship, but do we want something similar to Oasis class on a slightly smaller ship (I'm good with that)? I can definitely see more open spaces and more similarities to Oasis class over the smaller, more traditional classes/designs. Also interior open spaces allow for many more balcony cabins and fresh air. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

I really want some artist renderings and hoped we would have them by now if they are already building these ships. I'm beyond curious because when Royal designs a completely new class of ships it's always a game changer.

Agree on sea views for Schooner bar. On Song of America it was all windows. That was back in the day when the Casino was smack in the middle of the ship. You had to walk through the casino to go anywhere. The schooner bar was to one side of the casino and had great views of the water. Also want Viking crown back.

They are really hit and miss, though. I remember back when they first came out you could only see them using a certain browser (and I don't remember which browser it was). I tried to find them just now on Navigator, using 4 different browsers, and couldn't find one at all.

Well I think I top that.... On Mariner, heading to Jamie's for lunch, I was waiting on my mother, who gets lost all the time, and people watching. I was standing by the entrance to Jamie's so only a salad and fruit area was available in the Windjammer. I saw a man do "washy, washy" then scratch his butt for a whole minute after. He then grab a plate under another plate, because the first was apparently not clean enough. Adjusted his shorts and starting making a plate of salad. We only ate at the Windjammer twice, both times they were literally just opening up. So I am all about them serving people.

According to some pictures out on the internet it is already being built, blocks from the hull are being transported to Meyer Turku. I don't remember from previous classes of ship, but did RCI release renderings before the build started, or is Icon class extra secretive?

Thanks for the advice, I will start doing that.

I once saw a woman pick up a piece of bread by hand, smell it, and put it back. I’m pretty sure it touched her nose. Yikes!

@wannabecruiseexpert, just make sure you can visualize your family with one bathroom. OR make sure your suite has at least one and a half. Travelling with our teenage daughter one bathroom is truly aggravating, some of the OS and 1 bed grands albeit could accommodate 2 baths only have one, we are so much more comfortable with 2 ! I always take that into consideration when travelling with her.

Lawyers....

What about us Air Force folks?? I keed, I keed

SURPRISE THEM!! My kids don't even know we are going on a cruise. So the fact we have balcony rooms now is going to make it better when they find out. I'm even going to surprise them special with the excursions I have for them as they are things they love.

We will see more smaller lines that don't have strong financials to carry them forward be impacted like Pullmantur. Few businesses can survive very long with no revenue. Even fewer can survive extended periods with no revenue. Hopefully Royal can start sailing in some regions around the world soon as a means to realize some revenue. The name of the game isn't profit at the moment, for now it's simply survival.

This is going to be a common theme in the next few months in relation to everything not just cruiselines. Not every business is going to survive! As peoples places of work start to either lay off staff, reduce wages or close completely the domino effect is people spending less as their disposable income is reduced, things such as going to bars, restaurants or even on vacation wont be a priority or a luxury, the reduced business will result in even more bars, restaurants, hotels and even cruiselines closing their doors for good. The only upside to this is that if people dont have as much money to waste they may stop buying the Miami Herald ??

@steverino I'm sorry you're going through this stress with refunds. If you take an hour or so out of your day and flip through various threads here you'll see many of us are all in the same ship (pun intended but pet peeve, it's a ship, not a boat) with slow refunds. I am personally waiting on around $1500 USD for cancelled cruise planner purchases and another $500 FCC (future cruise credit). It's a bit unclear if you requested a refund/credit before Royal Caribbean announced the 125% FCC but, if you did, I'm sorry to say, they aren't Bed Bath & Beyond and going to honor expired coupons. If you requested the 125%, you might have to wait a bit longer. Keep calling, be polite, kill them with kindness. This is where a travel agent is worth their weight in gold. If you're waiting for a refund, since March, it's time to call your credit card company. As far as class action, I'm sure in time there will be some, but [hate this expression] at the end of the day, Royal is honoring refunds, just unacceptably slow. FWIW: I had to fill out a form, provide documents and a written statement to get United Airlines to refund me some things so ... it's everyone.

Just call your creator card company and tell them you are being denied access to a credit, let them fight it out.

I never pay attention to the infection rate as it is influenced by how much testing has been done. I only look at the hospitalization and death rate. When hospitals start to lean toward being overwhelmed, it's a problem. If 100% of the population was infected but nobody ended up in the hospital, well, who cares? But the states who refused to take this seriously are experiencing overwhelmed hospitals. Those who did/are simply aren't. The "media" that I pay attention to are the doctors and nurses who are friends of mine who live around the country and who are dealing with this stuff.

Being honest i had never heard of it before, in fact i actually got out an old world map and searched and i still couldnt find it... as a final resort i asked my wife if she knew where it was ! Her reply was simple and straight to the point Its probably next the the Gspot so waste of time you looking as you cant even find that ???? Aplogies if offended but a little light humour brightens these dark times

Seriously??? All this is the cause of the Coronavirus. There is no retaliation. This is about surviving, helping those who need help, protecting our kids and loved ones AND getting back to cruising!!

Please move our Rhapsody of the Seas Greek Isle cruise from 10/3/20 to 10/2/2021.

They will not know the cabana number on board, at least they did not know when we did it last yr. We were told that because they can have 2 ships at 1 time at Coco Cay, but departing ports on different days thus, they no longer allow you to select the cabana, and corporate just sends the list to Coco Cay directly. Makes sense if you think about it. IE Anthem leaves on Sat., but will not get to Coco Cay until Tues. Mariner leaves on Sunday, and will get there Tues. also. If they allowed you to select on embarkation day, Anthem cruisers would get the 1st pick and Mariner passengers would get what is left over. What will occur is they will leave a letter in your cabin the night before. You than make your way to the cabana area. There will be a hostess/host to greet you. That is when you will tell them the names of your guests for each cabana. You don't have to all show up at 1x, only the people that purchase the cabana need to be there 1st because that is when they take the names of everyone allowed in the cabana. At the welcome station they will also give you the wrist band. It is a waterproof paper type. You basically would have to cut it off to take it off....no ability to switch it on and off so you can get other people in. They will than get your specific cabana attendant to walk you to your exact cabana. They have little chalk boards on the cabana that says your last name. We did Chill, it is 2 rows. I suggest you look at the South Beach layout. At chill only cabana 10 and 11 would be an issue for you. 10 is front row and 11 is 2nd row right behind 10. I would also say if you cancel and rebook due to a price decrease BEWARE. On our cruise we met a very angry passenger at the Solarium pool. He purchased a cabana on line, but when the price dropped, he canceled and TRIED to rebook at the lower price. However, between the time he canceled and tried to re-book it sold out. If you do re-pricing my suggestion would be purchase two new ones, and than go back and cancel. However, I am not sure since both you and your wife both purchase them that you can do that. My advice would be for you to call RCL directly and explain the situation. It would be horrible for you if you were able to get 1 and while booking the 2nd somebody popped up online in front of you and took the last cabana Rebooking will also move your cabana placement because it is tied to your purchase date. IE you are the 1st to purchase when it is released on the planner. You will be cabana #1 front row. 6 months later the price drops. You cancel and rebook. Now you are cabana # 18 2nd row. The reason why is they see it as a new purchase. See above about the angry passenger.